LIFE (Literacy Initiative For Empowerment)
Regional LIFE Mid-Term Evaluation Meeting
(13-15 December 2010, Bangkok)
Literacy challenges in Asia-Pacific LIFE countries
Table 3. Adult literacy rate and number of illiterates among LIFE countries in Asia and the Pacific
Improving levels of adult literacy
Adult Literacy Rate (15 and over)
No. of illiterate adults (15 and over)
% point
1985-94(‘000)
2000-07 (‘000)
Countries
1985-1994
2000-2007
change
Total
GPI
Total GPI between
Female
Female
Total
Total
(%)
(F/M)
(%) (F/M) 2 period
(%)
(%)
Afghanistan
28 0.29
…
…
7,822
59
Bangladesh
35
0.58
53 0.82
+18
44,458
56
48,541
55
China
78
0.78
93 0.93
+15 184,214
70
70,583
73
India
48
0.55
66 0.71
+18 283,848
61 269,816
65
Indonesia
82
0.86
92 0.93
+10
21,577
68
13,267
70
Iran
66
0.76
82 0.89
+16
11,124
62
8,983
64
Nepal
33
0.35
57 0.62
+24
7,619
63
7,612
67
Pakistan
54 0.59
…
…
47,060
64
Papua New
58 0.86
…
…
1,604
55
Guinea
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, Data Centre, stats.uis.unesco.org
~ 475,000,000
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UNLD (United Nations Literacy Decade)
2003-2012
Six pillars of UNLD International Plan of Action :






Policy change
More flexible literacy programmes adapted to
local conditions
Capacity-building of literacy instructors and
managers
More empirical research to support policy change
Community participation and ownership
Monitoring and evaluation
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LIFE (Literacy Initiative For Empowerment)
2006-2015 - Events





White House Conference on Global Literacy
(September 2006)
UNESCO Regional Conferences in Support of
Global Literacy (July and November 2007)
Asia-Pacific LIFE Planning Meeting (Islamabad,
March 2006)
Asia-Pacific LIFE meeting (Dhaka, 21 to 24
January 2008)
Asia-Pacific LIFE Mid-Term Evaluation Meeting
(Bangkok, December 2010)
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LIFE (Literacy Initiative For Empowerment)
2006-2015 - Strategy

advocacy and communication to create national and international
momentum, mobilizing awareness, commitment, partnerships and
adequate resources for its expeditious implementation;

reinforce national capacities to develop appropriate policies and
programmes, adequate human resources and institutions, including
operational infrastructure;

support countries in the delivery of programmes that effectively
address poverty, gender inequalities and disadvantages related to
health and social exclusion; and

facilitate the sharing of information to improve policies and
practice by conducting research, supporting innovative and
replicable programmes, promoting good practices, and undertaking
monitoring and evaluation for assessing progress.
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LIFE Mid-Term Evaluation 2010 - Purpose

Assess progress in literacy situation in LIFE countries towards
achieving the EFA literacy goal of 50 per cent improvement in
adult literacy, elimination of gender gaps, and equal opportunities
in access to education for contributing to EFA and MDGs;

Review country experiences in implementing LIFE and its impact
on policies and strategies adopted to achieve the literacy goals;

Identify innovative approaches, lessons learned and
shortcomings/gaps in LIFE implementation that will inform the
way forward;

Formulate recommendations on how LIFE can make a difference
in the 9 Asia-Pacific LIFE countries in the second half of the LIFE
initiative(2011-2015), and how best can UNESCO render support
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LIFE Mid-Term Evaluation 2010 - Methodology

Formative evaluation – to exchange and learn lessons in order
to better implement LIFE during 2011-2015 to achieve UNLD
and EFA literacy goals

Participatory approach at both country and regional levels

Method:
o Desk study
o Information collection through questionnaire
o Review of relevant cases
o Regional meeting

Assess the relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, impact and
sustainability of LIFE implementation actions
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LIFE implementation process
Advocacy/
communication
strategy
LIFE
launch
Form LIFE
Coordination
Needs
assessment
Country
LIFE Action
Plan
Mobilize
partnerships
Monitoring
and
evaluation
Influence
policies/plans
Promote/share
innovations
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LIFE Mid-Term Evaluation 2010 - Framework
Relevance
Efficiency
Effectiveness
•Informing and
mobilizing support
Impact
• On policy-makers
• On stakeholders
Sustainability
Launching LIFE
•To current needs
• Representation
• Organization
• Timing/scheduling
• Future launch
• Lessons learnt
LIFE coord.
mechanism
• Membership
• TOR
• Operations/actions • Issues addressed
• Synergy
• Decision-making
Literacy needs
assessment
• Updating situation
• Identify needs
• Way to conduct it
• Timeliness
• Quality of findings • On policies/plans
• Insights obtained • On partnerships
• Benchmarking
• Future updates
Literacy Action
Plan
• To assessed needs
• To achieve goals
• Formulation
• Actions planned
• Addressing needs • On providers
• Feasibility
• On illiterates
• Resources
• Adjustments
Advocacy and • To audiences
• Messages
communication • Ways/channels used •Frequency
• Raise awareness
• Generate support
• Mechanisms
• Messages
Strengthening
Partnerships
• Expand partners
• Create synergy
• Using networks
• Clarify roles
• Range of partners • On wider partners
• Increased synergy • On cooperation
• Renew partners
• Maintain dynamic
Influence
policies/plans
• Identify gaps
• Prioritize actions
• Policy  plan
• Implementation
• Clarify targets
• Guide implement.
• On all partners
• On districts/locals
• Vision/direction
• Keep momentum
Promote
innovations
• Literacy delivery
• Effectiveness
• Networking
• Dissemination
• New programmes
• Better delivery
• On teachers
• On learners
• Mechanisms
• Applications
• On policies/plans
• Commitment
• On implementation • Support
• On policy-makers
• On general public
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LIFE Mid-Term Evaluation 2010 - Findings











Countries are at different stage of LIFE implementation
Most formed LIFE coordination mechanism(some weak)
Literacy partnership expanded and strengthened
Needs assessment done in some countries but outdated
Translation of needs into literacy policies unclear
Existing literacy policies/strategies needing upgrade
Literacy action plan to be formulated/revised
Implementation mechanisms to be reinforced
Under-mobilization of political/resources support
Inadequate awareness and support from general public
Advocacy and communication have room for expansion
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LIFE Mid-Term Evaluation 2010 Asia-Pacific
- Preliminary recommendations for countries










Establish or reinforce LIFE coordination mechanisms
Update literacy needs assessment to set benchmarks
Include LIFE into major national policy frameworks
Build capacities for literacy policies and implementation
Develop a country action plan for literacy under LIFE
Actively implement LIFE advocacy and communication
Mobilize adequate resource support for literacy
Establish systematic monitoring and evaluation of LIFE
Disseminate information on literacy innovations
Further increase international advocacy and
communication to mobilize support for literacy
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LIFE Mid-Term Evaluation 2010 Asia-Pacific
- Preliminary recommendations for UNESCO
Technical assistance in literacy needs assessment, policy,
planning, programme development and evaluation
 Advise high-level policy-makers and administrators to
commit to supporting literacy
 Networking at the regional and international level to
share LIFE experiences and resources
 Stress the need to strengthen partnerships and synergy
among literacy stakeholders
 Help to mobilize and provide funding for literacy
 Assist in building capacities of literacy planners and
managers, and of decentralized literacy personnel

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